Single-Crystal Production Equipment and Single-Crystal Production Method

A single-crystal production method of producing a high-quality single-crystal product having a uniform composition by melting a granular raw material, which has an optimum dopant composition of a single-crystal material to be produced, in a single-crystal production chamber, adding dropwise the thus obtained raw material melt into a melt formed on the upper surface of a seed single crystal arranged therebelow so as to generate a mixed melt, and then allowing a single crystal to precipitate out of said mixed melt as a solid,

• wherein said single-crystal production method comprises, at least, the steps of:
• supplying a required amount of said granular raw material to a granular raw material melting apparatus via a granular raw material supply apparatus arranged above said single-crystal production chamber;
• preparing a raw material melt by melting said granular raw material thus supplied to said granular raw material melting apparatus using said granular raw material melting apparatus;
• supplying the thus obtained raw material melt into a melt formed on said seed single crystal below;
• and
• irradiating the upper surface of said seed single crystal with an infrared ray to form a melt, subsequently generating a mixed melt phase by adding dropwise said raw material melt to the thus formed melt from said granular raw material melting apparatus, and then allowing a single crystal to precipitate as a solid on said seed single crystal from the lower side of said mixed melt phase.